10 hours Ago By TOI News Desk
Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray (File photo) NEW DELHI: Maharashtra's state assembly elections held on Wednesday, November 20, across all 288 constituencies in a single phase. Polling took place between 7am and 6pm. The Election Commission announced that vote counting will begin on Saturday, November 23 from 8am.
Key alliances in the fray The electoral battle in Maharashtra has seen intense competition between two key alliances. Mahayuti alliance (NDA): Led by the BJP, the alliance also includes Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's faction of the NCP. Maha Vikas Aghadi (INDIA bloc): The opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar 's NCP faction.
Both alliances have campaigned vigorously to secure a majority and form the government. Exit poll results: Mixed predictions Following the conclusion of voting, exit poll results were released. A compilation by TOI and posts on X from official news media handles revealed varied predictions: Six out of 10 exit polls favored the Mahayuti.
One predicted a neck-and-neck contest. Three gave the edge to the opposition INDIA bloc (Maha Vikas Aghadi). The EC's guidelines ensure that exit polls are published only after polling concludes to prevent any influence on voters.
Record voter turnout in 30 years This year’s voter turnout reached 66%, the highest in three decades. It marked a significant rise from the 61.1% turnout recorded in 2019.
The last time voter participation was higher was in 1991, at 71.7%. Analysts attribute the increased turnout to the close contest between the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi alliances, with all parties working hard to mobilise voters.
Contests in key constituencies The results for the 288 assembly constituencies are highly anticipated, with several high-stakes battles expected in constituencies featuring prominent candidates. Observers are closely monitoring these contests as they could majorly impact the overall outcome. Here's a look at the key candidates contested this high-decibel election: Candidates Party Constituency Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena (Shinde) Kopri-Pachpakhadi Nana Patole Congress Sakoli Devendra Fadnavis BJP Nagpur South West Aaditya Thackeray Shiv Sena (UBT) Worli Milind Deora Shiv Sena (Shinde) Worli Zeeshan Siddique NCP (AP) Bandra East Nawab Malik NCP (AP) Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Ajit Pawar NCP (AP) Baramati Rohit Patil NCP (SP) Tasgaon Where to check results The Election Commission of India will release live counting updates on its official website https://results.
eci.gov.in and through the Voter Helpline App, available for iOS and Android.
Citizens can follow these platforms to track constituency-wise results. Maharashtra's electoral significance Maharashtra holds significant weight in Indian politics as the second-largest state in terms of Lok Sabha representation and the third-largest in Vidhan Sabha strength. The stakes in these elections are high, with the outcome expected to shape the state's political future.
As vote counting commences, all eyes are on Maharashtra to see which alliance will secure the mandate to govern the state..
